


We'll Get Through This Together (the Patrick Thomas is a PITA remix)

by DesertVixen



Category: Baby-Sitters Club - Ann M. Martin
Genre: Family Feels, Family Issues, Gen, blended families - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-02
Updated: 2019-09-02
Packaged: 2020-10-05 05:56:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,240
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20483996
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DesertVixen/pseuds/DesertVixen
Summary: Dealing with the problems Patrick Thomas brings into their life requires some work from the adults in Charlie Thomas' life...





	We'll Get Through This Together (the Patrick Thomas is a PITA remix)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [lovelyflowersinherhair](https://archiveofourown.org/users/lovelyflowersinherhair/gifts).
  * Inspired by [have you ever just wanted to hate someone?](https://archiveofourown.org/works/13880223) by [lovelyflowersinherhair](https://archiveofourown.org/users/lovelyflowersinherhair/pseuds/lovelyflowersinherhair). 

It was only natural that Richard Spier and Watson Brewer would become friends when they met. After all, they had two major things in common.

The first was that they both cared deeply about Edie. 

Watson had been a little suspicious at first – after all, his first wife had watched enough romantic comedies for him to realize that the setup in Bradford Court would have made a perfect one. Widowed father lives next door to the plucky divorced mother of his only daughter’s best friend. All that was missing was some mildly hare-brained scheme by the girls to bring their parents together. In retrospect, Watson would always be a little surprised that the idea had apparently never occurred to Kristy. 

It had quickly become clear, however, that Richard Spier was not ready for a romantic relationship yet. Instead, he’d stepped in and helped Edie when she needed it, a favor that Edie had returned. Or maybe Richard saw it as returning her favors when his wife had been dying. Watson particularly appreciated that Richard had stepped in and helped Charlie by acting something like a supportive uncle.

The second was that they both disliked Patrick Thomas. 

Richard, because he had watched Edie struggle to pick up the pieces when he simply abandoned her. He had done what he could to help her – lawn mowing, keeping an eye on the kids so she could have a break – but Edie would only permit him to do so much, even when he wanted to do more. The two of them had shared problems and given advice and sometimes been each other’s last link to sanity over their shared backyard fence. 

Watson, because even though Edie had pulled her family out of the rough patches into a place where she only had to deal with the average amount of working mother dilemmas, he still saw the legacy those earlier rough years had inflicted on Edie and the kids. Charlie, who had to be grown beyond his years. Sam, who had to be the clown because the family would collapse without some levity. Kristy, who had settled on being the overachiever. David Michael, who had pretty much always only known a world in which his father was a non-entity. He had to resist the urge to spoil them all, to give them the things they should have had.

Both of them would have welcomed ten minutes alone with Patrick Brewer in a dark alley, and neither of them was prone to physical violence.

*** 

Watson was not have been greatly surprised when the phone call that interrupted their late dinner was from Richard Spier. He’d gotten a somewhat garbled version of this afternoon’s events from Karen, who wasn’t always the most reliable reporter. Edie stood in the kitchen, twirling the phone cord idly as she listened, her voice carefully neutral, pitching it low enough that the people at the dining room table couldn’t really hear. Watson gave Sam the look that said he was in charge, and walked into the kitchen. 

“Well, I’m glad he came to you, even though I hate having more people dragged into this,” Edie said. “You and Sharon are still bringing the veggie platter for the after-graduation party, right?”

Watson was glad too. There were definitely worse people for Charlie to talk things over with than Richard Spier.

When she hung the phone in its cradle on the wall, she rested her head against the wall. “Why does he insist on doing this? Why does he insist on making everything harder? Although Kristy is certainly not helping.”

He stroked the back of her neck, gratified when she turned away from the wall and leaned into him. Watson knew she wasn’t talking about her oldest son, but about her ex-husband.

“Kristy misses him,” he reminded her softly. “She doesn’t see what he is like.”

Edie nodded against his shoulder. “I know. And I know he plays on her emotions, but still. Now he’s coming to her graduation, and she wants him to come to the party, and I’m going to have to be a damn adult about the whole thing. Otherwise, he wins.”

Watson had the feeling that the party wasn’t the only thing Edie was fretting about, although he was certainly annoyed himself. It was Charlie’s graduation from high school, and that should be the primary focus. But the siblings had agreed to have a joint party, although Watson now wondered if Kristy had already been planning this whole thing, counting on everyone to not throw a fit. “It’s a big back yard,” he said after a minute.

She laughed a little at that. “It is. Maybe there will be enough people that we won’t even notice him.”

He tightened his arms around her, knowing that it wasn’t really the party that Edie was worried about. “Kristy will eventually see him for what he is,” he said after a long moment. “Unless he’s actually changed, he can’t hide that forever.”

“Eventually,” Edie agreed. “But how much will he hurt her before that happens?” Her unspoken question – What if she decides to stay in California? – hung in the air, unanswered.

“Whatever happens, we’ll be here for her,” Watson said after a long moment. 

*** 

Watson watched as Sam loaded Kristy’s luggage into the car for the trip to the airport. He had offered to go with Edie, but she’d preferred to handle this one by herself. It was part of their agreement to support each other, just like she tended to be more hands-off in his interactions with Lisa. 

Charlie had chosen to make himself scarce, as if after a week he still didn’t trust himself to say something that wouldn’t start a fight. He was still justifiably sore about having Patrick at the graduation party, even though they had all managed to get through it with a minimum of interaction. Patrick hadn’t even bothered to bring a gift or a card for his oldest son. Of course, he’d made a big deal over Kristy at the party, until Watson was thinking of the hypothetical dark alley with some longing. 

At least he hadn’t been able to come and ruin Charlie’s actual graduation with his presence. There, it had been Watson and Richard who stood by him and Edie in the various photos, who celebrated his achievements, achievements that Patrick Thomas had only impacted by his absence.

They’d had a going-away dinner for Kristy the night before, and Watson was grateful that it was Lisa’s turn to have Karen and Andrew for the first part of summer, after Karen had carried on as if Kristy was leaving forever. Not that he wouldn’t miss his kids, but he felt like his stepsons would benefit from a little time where Watson could focus on them.

A little father-son time would do them all some good, he suspected.

Edie and Kristy came out of the house. There was still a little tension between them, but Kristy was so excited about the prospect of a summer in California that she was chattering excitedly and Edie was doing her best to act natural. 

When hugs had been exchanged and they were seated in the car, Watson walked up to the driver’s side window. “We’ll get through this,” he murmured to Edie. 

“We always do,” she said back softly, as he kissed her on the cheek.

They always did, together. Watson vowed this situation would not be any different.

**Author's Note:**

> I really enjoyed this set of stories, although I hadn't gotten to this part of the books as a teen, so I was excited when it came up for pinch hit. I hope you feel like it does your work justice! I wanted to focus on the relationship between Watson and Richard, because I enjoy how you write both of them.


End file.
